


All I've Known

by SpartanEra



Series: Not So Primitive [1]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Biotic Shepard, F/M, Implied Relationships, Interspecies Relationship(s), Long-Term Relationship(s), Nihlus and Shepard are Best Friends, No Shepard without Vakarian, Off-screen Relationship(s), Other, Paragon Commander Shepard, Prothean Artifacts, Prothean Beacon, Saren Friendship, Shakarian - Freeform, Shepard Twins, Shepard is more special than you thought, earth born
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-09-25 18:53:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9839198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpartanEra/pseuds/SpartanEra
Summary: Loving you means that I give you my heart my love, my whole self; you'll always come first before anything. Shepard's life has always been unusual. It all started when she was young, but realized its significance much later. If only she can keep her most kept secret a secret, but the universe never liked to cooperate.Also available on Deviantart and Fanfiction.net! Same username different Title: Broken Soldiers.Links are also on my profile page!





	1. Old Friendships

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first every fan fiction ever! Please enjoy and sorry for anything that might look incorrect or spelling. The first few chapters (still unsure about how many) will be taking place in the first game and will slowly pick up as Jane Shepard's and Garrus' relationship builds. This chapter is a bit short, but only to just start this series off. Thank you! All characters belong to Bioware, the story however belongs to me. OK i edited this chapter cause can :D! anyways nothing seems to be working out for me but i am tying my best to get the next chapter out... just Geth are... weird. yeah lets just leave it at that.

_It was dark; darkness surrounded her, made everything seem and feel different. She became scared, frightened of the unknown that was presented to her. Nothing seemed to fit, nothing looked right, but nothing was there to begin with. She panicked, for she saw nothing but thick black darkness. She tried to scream out for help, but the words could not form. As she stood there in the darkness, petrified of her surroundings, she willed herself to move. She couldn't. The darkness seemed to react to her attempt of escape and the air in the space she was in started to thicken, and the darkness only became darker._

_She had to get out! She had to do something before this force had consumed her. She willed herself to move once more. Finally she broke free and pain started to erupt into her body. She tried to search, looking, feeling for something that she could use to get out. Adrenaline was pumping throughout her body. She ignored the pain increasing ever so slightly with every step, but that only made her determination grow as she searched for a way out. With her arms out in front, guiding her through the darkness, she continued to stumble around into the unknown, hoping for a sudden miracle._

_Something then forced her to stop like someone took control of her body. Unable to move, her eyes darted left and right searching for the source to the power._

_She felt that someone was directly in front of her, breathing into her face. She closed her eyes as hard as she could, her heart beating harder and faster in her chest, afraid of what could happen next. The pain intensified as she stood in front of the figure. The presence in front of her had done nothing to her yet. The pain in her body was soon overwhelming to the point if collapse._

_As she fell the figure moved down and caught her before she hit the ground. Cradled in its arms, the figure placed its hand on her cheek, as if to see if she was okay._

_With the hand placed on her cheek, Jane felt as if the darkness, the pain, or the fear had never been there. These hands, these three-fingered hands, were being so gentle to her. It was as if it cared for her, as if it was trying to take the pain away from her._

_"I have you now, you have nothing to be afraid of." said a voice, she was confused; it was of a man but not of one she knew. The voice was so comforting and calm. "I'll always be there for you Shepard." The darkness around her started to disperse as he spoke. She relaxed, trusting the unknown presence to protect her. Jane had believed that she was safe from the danger in the figure's arms._

_Everything continued to fade around her. Light started her peak through the darkness, banishing the danger and evil that had once threatened her. The three-fingered comforting hands slowly began to disperse as the voice from before ensured her, "You will never be alone Jane, I love you."_

* * *

 

Jane suddenly woke up and slowly sat up on her bed. She placed her hand on her check where the hand had once held her in the dream.

What the hell?

She glanced around the room that was still dark except for her desk lamp that was still on from her previous battle with paperwork. Jane flowed her hand from her check to the rest of her face down and then let it drop unto the bed. She let her thoughts wonder to the events that will soon come upon her.

Eden Prime, Nihlus...Oh wait... Could I maybe?...

Shepard quickly activated her Omni-tool and checked the time; it read 0300. She decided it would be a good time to start the day. Jane slowly got out of bed and walked to the bathroom.

Resting in front of the sink, she looked at herself in the mirror and saw the exhaustion in her face. The dark circles underneath her deep green eyes, the pale look on her scared freckled skin, and her bright red hair raged all around her head.

"Why won't the dreams stop?" She said to herself

Wondering back towards the dream, she couldn't believe what had happened. Not only of the dream, but of how weird it felt. In her mind she amused herself at this sudden occurrence, and she suddenly let out a loud groan that sounded more like a growl than anything else.

"She's Alive! Morning Frankenstein. Sounds like you slept well. " Joker responded to her outburst over the intercom.

"Thanks Joker, how could you tell?" Jane replied sarcastically, "Hey, what's our ETA?"

"30 minutes before we hit Eden Prime, it still smells fishy to me, but I am assuming your situation is involved with that stick up your ass ." Joker replied with a hint of suspicion.

"Again, thanks Joker." Jane said as she started to fetch her clothes from her duffel bag in the corner, "Joker, I'm just going to get ready, okay?" She started to slip into her uniform, decided she could take a shower when she returned from the current mission.

"What? Do you not trust me to run this ship?" Joker said with a playful tone.

"Because I know you" Jane replied with a smile. She went into the bathroom and looked into the mirror to tie her red shoulder length hair up into a pony tail.

"Okay, fine I can pilot, but even if I tried anything else I would break my pelvis. "

"Only a pelvis? I don't know maybe..."

"Yeah right, Oh look Frankincense is here, ." Joker stopped her mid-thought as the intercom just as quickly turned off.

Jane chuckled to herself as she made sure everything was in order in her cabin; sighed softly, Straightened out her uniform and walked out of the door and into the mess hall only to be confronted by a little too over enthusiastic Corporal Richard Jenkins. “Commander Can you believe it? A Spectre! A real live Spectre is on board with us!”

A small smile crept up on her face. Jenkins had always reminded her of the little brother she never had. Ever since she came aboard the Normandy, enthusiasm and confidence where the only emotions she had ever seen on him, but pure joy seemed to be the most prominent at the moment. “Yes Jenkins, I know. I was planning to try go talk to him.”

“Oh, when you meet him could you get me his autograph?”

A short breathy laugh escaped her lips, “I’ll see what I can do. In the meantime, what are you doing up so early?” Shepard questioned with a small smile planted on her face.

“OH! Sorry I guess I was just too excited to sleep much. Getting to meet a Spectre! A Turian Spectre! You…you! The Great Commander Shepard herself! The Hero of the Blitz! The Butcher of Torfan!” said with his hands up in the air, his voice rising with each thing named.

This time Shepard chuckled; it’s hard to not be happy around this guy. “Yes Jenkins.  Just keep your voice down; there are a few people onboard that if they wake before needed they get really grumpy.”

Jenkins with an ear to ear smile on his face, did a crisp salute and whispered, “Yes sir!” and walked off.

* * *

 

Jane had wandered down to the Cargo Bay making her way to the oh so beautiful Mako. Shepard wanted to try and get some new upgrades and make a few tweaks in the Mako before landing. She knew that they weren't going to be able to use it at Eden Prime but you can never be too careful.

Rolling under the mako Jane started going to work. First testing then tweaking the suspension and thrusters; cause since they were launched planet side by literally flying off of the ship, so you might not want to be  crashing all around inside . Then working on the cannon algorithms for they would sometimes get jammed when being rapidly fired.

Working on something like the Mako always made time fly right by, and that's what she loved about it. She only realized how much time had passed when Nihlus had gently tapped her foot twice to get her attention.  Shepard Rolled out from underneath the Mako then proceeding to clean her hands on a rag she had found nearby.

"Sorry Nihlus fell in love this guy." She said while patting the side of the Mako as she wiped her hands clean "So... What's up? What are you doing down here?"

"What I'm not allowed to check up on you anymore?" Nihlus playfully jabbed, "just because I'm a Spectre now doesn't mean I don't care."

Shepard released a short laugh and turned so that he had her full attention. "Really? Being a big bad Spectre like you are always looking for trouble... Are you sure you can handle that level of danger?" Shepard the. Took a step closer and almost whispered, "can you handle that much excitement?"

Jane received a surprised then amused look from Nihlus followed by chuckle of sorts. "Oh Jane, that… that is a good one; almost thought you had forgotten about our little game,” chuckling once more he continued, “But no matter how hard you try, you can never beat” pointing both of his thumbs at himself, “the KING!” Nihlus couldn’t help it he tried to hold it anymore; he slowly let a big goofy smile be displayed on his big goofy turian face.

Shepard on the other hand waited only a few seconds before she started cracking up and holding her stomach while trying to breathe. Eventually Nihlus had joined into her laughter since his big goofy turian smile was starting to hurt.

_How long has it been since I laughed like that?_

After finally coming down from their fits of laughter, a few giggles were all that was left of Jane. “Ok fine I’m letting you have that win. By the way, I think you have a super fan; good luck sleeping at night.” finishing it with a small chuckle.

“Oh I see what you did there,” squinting his eyes at her, “nice try.”

“Hey, it doesn’t hurt to try. Anyways, you didn’t really answer my question.”

“And what was that?”

“What are you doing down here?” Nihlus suddenly tensed then relaxed, with his arms across his chest, leaning against the side of the Mako.

“Jane…” _How am I supposed to…?_ “How…how’s your dad doing?” Nihlus said shifting foot to foot nervously, evading the inevitable.

“Alright…Why?” Confusion and worry now visible in her voice. By this point Jane was off of the Mako and standing off to the side away from Nihlus.

“What’s he been doing recently?” hoping for a distraction.

“The Usual, the Should-Retirement-Plan going underway.” Jane said jokingly for a chance the uncomfortable feeling to go away.

“That’s good. That’s good.” An uncomfortable silence settled between the two for a moment. Nihlus was looking anywhere but Shepard and eventually found himself looking at piece on the floor like it was the most interesting thing there.

 _Why is he nervous?_ “Nihlus you alright?”

“Yeah, fine.”

Jane’s brows frowned in confusion, “Is it about the mission?”

“Kind of.”

“What do you mean ‘kind of’?” Jane’s voice was no longer one of a friend but one of a commanding officer.

“Can I…?” Being a little more nervous than usual he continued, “Can I talk to you with it off?” he asked pointing to her Omni-Tool, “Please?” Nihlus’ sub harmonics were going all over the place but nervousness seemed to be the most prominent.

 Jane had been intently listening to his sub harmonics for a clues or hints of his behavior, but up until recently he’s been clamping them down. Hoping to help him, Shepard lifted her arm up to activate her Omni-Tool then deactivated her voice modulator function. Upon turning the modulator off Nihlus relaxed as he heard her own harmonics of concern enter the room. “Nihlus,” Her now dual voice joining them, “What’s wrong?”

It was always easier to talk to Jane when she didn’t have that voice mask on. Her voice was so beautiful and on a few occasions he had asked her why she would want to hide it? She simply responded with humor, _“How many humans have you met that have dual harmonics?”_ Although he knew she had been right, he still loved to hear her talk through her normal, naked voice then through a machine.

They’ve both had the privilege of knowing each other for a number of years now and their friendship had been strong so far; even when he had to leave for Spectre training, when he came back she welcomed him with open arms, continuing on as if he had never left. A few times he let his mind wonder to all of the ‘What if’s’ and ‘Maybe’s’ but the rational part of his mind always stopped those thoughts from fully forming. She’s a human, it could never work…

He snapped himself out of the trance he placed himself as he heard the intercom above them click then Joker voice entered informing of their arrival, “Hitting the Relay in 5 minutes. ETA Eden Prime about 30.”

 “I should go; get prepared for the mission.” And with that Nihlus dismissed himself and entering the elevator leaving a confused and worried human commander in his wake. Jane quickly composed herself and cleaned herself off, reorganized her work station, and then headed to the elevator.


	2. It Begins

Nihlus was in the comm room alone. He wouldn't look at her and kept his stance wide.

"Jane. I was hoping you'd get here first. It will give us a chance to talk. To clear the air, so to speak" Nihlus told her.

"What’s wrong?" She asked him.

"I'm interested in the world, Eden Prime. I've heard it's quite beautiful." Nihlus started to pace around the room with his back to Shepard.

"I've ever been there, but I've heard it's a paradise." She replied brows frowned. This wasn't the topic of conversation she was expecting. 

"Yes…Eden Prime has become something of a symbol for your people, hasn't it? Proof that humanity can establish colonies and keep them safe. But, how safe is it?" He asked pointedly.

_My people?_

"Nihlus, what is this about?" Shepard asked. He still won't glance her way.

"Your people are still newcomers, Shepard. The galaxy can be a very dangerous place. Is the Alliance truly ready for this? Are you?" He asked with air of professionalism.

"Why does that matter?” _Where is this going?_

David came in quickly disrupting the human and Turian’s conversation. "I think it's time we tell the Commander what's really going on."

"This mission is more than a simple shakedown run. I’m sorry for not telling you early but you know…Classified...” Nihlus told her.

"Yes, that was obvious. You're being all stand-offish." Shepard gave him a small smile.

"We needed to make sure the stealth systems were operational because we are making a covert pick up on Eden Prime." Anderson told her.

"But was there an actual reason why I was left in the dark?" She asked.

"The mission was a need to know and now you need to know. A research team on Eden Prime unearthed a Prothean beacon." Anderson paused. "This is big, Shepard. Last time humanity made a discovery like this it jumped our technology forward 200 years. We need to bring the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study."

"And this goes beyond human interests alone, Shepard. This discovery could affect every species in council space." Nihlus said. "However, the beacon is not the only reason why I'm here."

"Nihlus wants to see you in action, Shepard. He's here to evaluate you."

She turned to face Nihlus. "That’s why you were here?” Nihlus nodded, “Alright I can understand why you were reluctant to tell me in the Cargo Hold.”

Nihlus fluttered his mandibles as a representation of a smile.

"The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority. If they accept a human into their ranks, it shows how far the alliance has come." Anderson continued as if he was oblivious to the other two’s conversation.

"You alone held off an enemy assault during the Blitz. You showed courage and incredible skill. That's why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres." Nihlus told her.

"But wouldn't there be some sort of bias based on our friendship.” She said, raising a brow at him

“I’ve been watching your career for a while now Shepard, and I've forwarded my findings to the council." He said pausing… willing her to know what he was really trying to say. "I needed to show them that you were Spectre material. You know what we are and how rare it is to find an individual with the skills needed. So, as the Captain said, I needed to evaluate you. Eden Prime will be the first of several mission together."

“Just like old times” _this was going to be better than the old times._

"You will be in charge of the ground team. Secure the beacon and get it aboard the ship. Nihlus will observe the mission. We are hoping the beacon will tell us more about the Protheans, they were technologically advanced, yet they mysteriously vanished 50,000 years ago." Anderson explained to her.

"Their Citadel is the very heart of galactic society. Without their mass relays interstellar travel would be impossible. We all owe the Protheans a great debt." Nihlus added.

"True, if we hadn't discovered those Prothean ruins on Mars, we'd still be stuck on Earth." Anderson acknowledged.

"Captain, we've got a problem." Joker broke in. "Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You better see this!"

"Bring it up on-screen." David Anderson ordered.

Heavy gunfire filled the screen. Yelling, Screaming. The camera bounced haphazardly. It was hard to get a clear picture of just what was happening. A man shouted that they were taking heavy casualties and needed evac soon, just before his head exploded. The camera fell to the ground heavily and in the background you could see a massive insect looking ship landing at nearby and the video feed cut to static.

"Status report." Anderson demanded.

"Seventeen minutes out, Captain. No other Alliance ships in the area." Joker responded form above.

"Take us in Joker, fast and quiet." Anderson said. "This mission just got a lot more complicated.” Grab your gear and meet us at the Cargo hold." Nihlus nodded and left with a few strides. Anderson turned to Shepard and ordered, "Tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up, Shepard. You're going in.”

“Yes sir!” She saluted.

* * *

 

Joker flew the Normandy down towards Eden, “Somebody was doing some serious digging down here captain.” Joker reported. They met up with Anderson at the Cargo hold once they were suited up.

"Your team’s the muscle in this operation, Commander. Go in heavy and head straight for the dig site, Commander." He told her.

“What about survivors’ captain?” Kaidan asked.

Anderson responds immediately, “Helping survivors is a secondary objective. The beacon’s your top priority.”

_Of course it is… no matter how hard I try; something happens that destroys the entire mission. Here’s to hoping my instincts are wrong about this._

Overhead Joker reported their approach to drop point one. “Nihlus? You’re coming with us?”

_Didn't I say that it was most likely he wasn't earlier?_

Checking his shotgun, Nihlus being the Turian he is said, “I move faster on my own.”

“Sure…” He always says that. I think in his mind it makes him sound all bad-ass. Giving Nihlus a small smile as he ran of the Normandy’s ramp, I swear I heard a small chuckle escape from him.

_…Keep safe…_

"Nihlus will scout out ahead. He'll feed you status reports throughout the mission; Otherwise, radio silence." Anderson resumed, unfazed by the commander’s and the Spectre’s interaction. Kaidan seemed to be shifting around nervously... What’s wrong with him?

“We've got his back Captain.” Better to just keep my mind focused on the mission, no distractions.

“The mission’s yours now, Shepard. Good luck.” With the approach of drop point two Joker set the Normandy as close to the ground as he could, opening the ramp, we were off.

* * *

 “What the hell is that?” if there was an answer no one heard it as a sudden roar so loud and vicious it felt like it bored right into your brain. A squid-like metal monster, with a red hued lighting emitting off of it, descended down upon the luscious lands of Eden Prime.

From behind the crates, Powell woke up to the sudden roar of the metallic creature from above, followed by mysterious gun fire. All around him, his fellow dockworkers and friends fell dead. Robotic-like creatures, with 3 fingers and oddly bent knees, came out from behind cover; their rifles still smoking from its exhaustion port. Powell bunker ed down behind the crates when the sight of the robotic creatures came into view.

_Geth! Geth here! I must be dreaming but they look so real, but they can’t be! Geth haven’t been seen beyond the Perseus Veil in over three hundred years! Yeah, I must be just having another one of those nightmares. Yeah. That’s it._

The geth had spread out among st the fallen; the few people who survived were quickly put out. Powell peeked up from the crate he was hiding behind and witnessed the horror. A few of the geth platforms had set up to what looked like a thick legged tri-pod; dozens of these things were spread out in a line against the railing of the docks. A geth with a human body atop its shoulder was lowered down on top of the tri-pod.

_What are they doing to him?_

As soon as the question passed through his mind, a metal spike protruded from the tri-pod object, impaling the man atop of it. Red blood ran down the length of the spike, passed the tri-pod-like body and unto the ground where it pooled. Bunkering back down behind the crates, Powell covered his hands over his mouth, preventing the unwanted disposal of his lunch; nausea took over his senses to the verge of collapse.

Oblivious to the unconscious man nearby, the geth continued to work only finally moving on once all bodies were either atop a spike or hidden out of sight.

* * *

 

“Ship Perimeter is secure, Commander” Kaidan’s voice barely audible as my mind takes in the area. Bodies were lying down by the side of the rocks as if they were burned where they lay. A chill ran up my spine and into my head-something definitely isn't right. After my quick analysis of the terrain, Nihlus reported in through my comm system.

“The place got hit hard, Shepard. Hostiles everywhere.”

“Understood. No activity here, but signs of battle are present.”

“Keep your guard up.”

“I will,” I can’t shake the feeling of being watched “You better be careful, this place doesn't feel right”

“Yeah, I feel it too. Don’t worry about me, Jane, I’ll be fine” Nihlus signed off. He was always a cocky bastard.

Heading down behind us, the terrain opened up to some kind of pond-like area. “What the hell are those?” Kaidan acknowledged the creatures floating near the pond.

“Gas Bags. Don’t worry-they’re harmless.” Jenkins assured Kaidan. Jenkins finally faced the bodies, “Oh, god. What happened here?” Jenkins bent down towards one of the bodies as if it was one of an old friend.

“Let’s keep going. The sooner we secure the becan, the sooner we can help the remaining colonists.” We don’t have time for distractions and the feeling was getting worse the further we go.

“Of course, Commander,” Kaidan and Jenkins replied in unison.

* * *

 

Shepard and her squad headed down the pathway that opens up the rocky terrain ahead. Looking out, she couldn't get a good view of the field ahead and waved Jenkins to recon. The chill started to pulse-synced with my heart beat. Something is definitely not right. She decides to call Jenkins back but he's too far out when something shoots out of nowhere.

Geth sentry turrets came out, guns blazing, and towards the unsuspecting human ahead of them. With no time to think Shepard tries to send a barrier around Jenkins; Green light rising up through her body as she disperses the energy. A few shots hit Jenkins before the barrier fully formed around him and he falls.

Shepard, out of anger, threw warps of green energy at the inspecting geth turrets. She fired her assault rifle to its limit, making sure it was down for good. When the deed was done Shepard noticed that Kaidan had just been standing there watching her with his mouth hanging open and unbelieving eyes. Rolling her eyes Shepard said, "Kaidan, you're collecting flies." Alenko immediately shut his mouth, blinked a few times and then when he got his bearings crouched down to where Jenkins had laid.

"Tore right through his shields. Never stood a chance."

"We'll make sure he gets a proper burial when the mission is done. In the meantime let's move unto the side."

"Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

_Just keep moving. Move on. Don’t look back. Learn. Experience. Learn. Move on. Fight Live._

Shepard kept chanting in her head. Advice she had received so long ago, still kept her vigilant and strong; Advice that was repeated maybe one time too many.

Losing Jenkins had hit the Commander hard. He was born on Eden Prime, looks like he now died on it. Such cruel irony-if it is any irony at all. Jenkins was a good man, a great soldier. Jenkins might have been a little too green for her tastes, but she thought that with experience, Jenkins could have been… great.

 The commander called in the Normandy for Jenkins, while Kaidan dragged Jenkins’ body onto the side, taking his tags with him before he stood up.

 “Commander,” the biotic held up his hand with the tags, “He was a great kid.”

Taking the outstretched tags in hand, Shepard looked them over and read the name printed: _Richard L. Jenkins_. “A great _man_.” She corrected. A silence fell upon the two soldiers. _They will pay for this_ Thought Shepard. Clenching the tags in hand, the commander ordered the biotic to continue move on, continue the mission.

Quickly moving on, the duo made quick work of the incoming drones ahead. After the firefight had settled down Nihlus decided to check in.

“I’ve got some burned out buildings here Shepard. A lot of bodies. I’m going to check it out.”

“Acknowledged,” Shepard replied, “We’re down one man; Jenkins-Drone fire.”

There was a pause on the intercom before the Spectre softly replied, “I’m sorry Jane…He was a good kid. He-“Nihlus was silent contemplated his next words, “He would have been a great soldier.”

In retaliation, Jane joked, “If only he learned to duck.”

The breath-like laugh Nihlus gave way could be heard over the com. “Only you can make a dark place brighter. Okay, it’s my turn.” Nihlus gave a heavy sigh, “And Jane? I get it. This place, this darkness that has come over this place, it gives me the ‘creeps’ feeling as well, but we have to finish the mission. I’ll try to catch up to you at the dig site. Nihlus out.”

The commander could not help but let out a sigh at the end of the conversation. Kaidan seemed to have buised himself with lookout duty, for which Shepard was truly grateful. Signaling to move ahead, she flashed him a smile in which he quickly returned.

It was not much further till the dig site when they heard gunshots up ahead, causing the to soldiers to duck behind cover.

* * *

 

A colorful array of curses escaped the lips of the marine as she ran for her life. On her tail were a couple of Geth aerial drones, they wouldn't shaken off no matter how hard she tried. Plasma fire only gave an incentive to move faster. Suddenly, a shot slammed into her shields, nearly depleting her shields and eliciting another string of curse words from her mouth. It was then that she tripped. Luckily for her, Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams wasn't planning on dying just yet.

Immediately after falling to the ground, she rolled onto her back with her pistol primed and ready. She started shooting at the drones. With a few well placed shots, they quickly exploded into showers of sparks and scrap metal. Williams took a few breaths as she got up, hearing the all-too-welcome hum of her shields recharging. However, her adrenaline began kicking in again as she saw something move further up the hill.

It was a civilian judging from the clothes, being manhandled by two more of those...machines. The civvie must've been injured severely, due to his pained expression, to fight back as he was placed on top of a strange device.

Then, with a sickening sound of skin, flesh and bone being ripped, a long spike suddenly erupted from the device, impaling the hapless man right through the chest. The only thing keeping Ashley from vomiting at the sight was the realization that the two synthetic creatures had spotted her. Quickly, she ran off down the path and took cover behind a boulder, just as the monsters began shooting. She took out her assault rifle and got ready to return fire. 

Just as she was lining up her sights on the one closest to her, it's flashlight head exploded in a pool of sparks. Instead of wondering where that shot had come from the Gunnery Chief panned off to a different target. She was glad that there were at least some friendlies remaining besides her.

* * *

 

The fight did not last long and the immediate threat taken care of, the commander holstered her rifle and walked up to their fellow comrade.

"You alright, marine?" Kaidan asked.

"Just Fine. Apreciate the help though.” She replied, catching her breath.

Time for introductions, "You got a name, soldier?" asked Shepard.

It was then that she regained her composure noticing the commander’s rank and nervously saluted. "Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212, ma’am!"

"At ease, Williams" Shepard replied. "Can you give me a sit-rep?"

"Oh man, where do I begin?" Ashley began. "My unit and I were on perimeter patrol when the attack hit. We tried to send a distress signal but they cut off our communications. I've been fighting for my life ever since."

"Where's the rest of your unit?" Kaidan asked. Ashley dipped her head in grief.

"Dead. I'm the only one left." Ashley replied. Shepard glanced down at the Geth units.

"I'm just curious as to why the Geth are here. They haven't left the Perseus Veil in over three hundred years. So, why would they leave now?" the Commander wondered.

"They must be here for the beacon." Ashley replied.

"Where is it?" the Commander asked.

"The dig site is just over that rise. It might still be there." Ashley said as she pointed in the mentioned direction.

"You’re welcome to join us, Williams." Shepard said with a nod.

"That’s all I ask for, Commander." Ashley said. "It's time for some payback."

* * *

 


	3. Am I Cursed?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People Keep Dying...
> 
>  
> 
> ...That's what people do.

They encountered a few geth along their way, but were taken care of with relative ease. The trio started walking towards the dig site...which, unsurprisingly, did not have a beacon in it.

"The beacon was right here last I saw it." Ashley exclaimed, apparently to negate any possible attempts at accusation. "It must've been moved."

"By who? Our side or the Geth?" Kaidan asked.

"Don't know. Maybe we should check out the research camp, up the ridge." Ashley answered.

"Lead the way, Chief." Shepard said. Williams nodded and lead the Commander and the biotic up the ridge. As Ashley led them, Nihlus chimed in.

"Shepard, these are definitely Geth we're dealing with. Just finished checking out a camp. Lot of dead bodies." the Turian reported. "What's your status?"

"We think we might've found the beacon. Stand by." Shepard reported. Sure enough, Ashley successfully leads Kaidan and herself to the research camp. It was a wreck. Piles of debris in some corners, fires in the other corners, a few barely-intact sheds, but the most eye-catching feature by far was what looked like a collection of dried up bodies mounted on those spikes.

"Camp got hit hard." Ashley observed.

"It's a good place for an ambush. Keep your guard up." Kaidan warned. Like a Jinx, as soon as the words escape his mouth did it happen. With audible screeches, the spikes began to lower, making the trio of marines snap their guns in that direction. As the spikes fully lowered, the bodies ripped themselves off and faced the group. They were humans. Emphasis on WERE. They were naked; their skin had turned a grayish-blue with cybernetics strewn out across their bodies. Their eyes glowed blue with menace as they opened their mouths, blue light and a menacing moan escaping from them.

"Oh God..." Kaidan breathed in horror.

"What did the geth do to them?" Ash asked. It was then that the creatures charged. Acting on instinct, the three soldiers opened fire on them. It didn't take long for them to fall to the ground.

"Secure the area." Shepard ordered as she switched out her pistol for her assault rifle. She rained it upon each creature and put a few rounds each into their chests, just to be sure, as Ashley and Kaidan began working on a shed's locked door. Shepard took a moment to look at...things.

The situation wearied on bad too extreme as they went along towards the beacon. What was so important about this artifact? What is so important about it that had geth leaving their sanctuary to get it? This doesn’t make sense. But hey, when did it ever? "Nihlus you still there?"

"Still here. What's wrong?" he replied immediately

"Nothing. Okay, maybe a few things. Have you encountered any zombie-like creatures yet?"

"Zombie-like?"

"Yeah. Gray skin, glowing blue light all over body, eyes, and mouth. A husk of what they once were. Zombies."

"Yeah. I did. How about we just call them Husks, rolls off the tongue better. Zombies...."

"Cliché?"

"Yeah, Cliché."

"Fine. Husk it is." A silence fell upon the pair.

"Jane?"

"Yeah?"

"You didn't get bit by one did you? Because then I don't think I would be able to work with you. Especially becoming a smelly human with no use." There was an obvious joking tone to his voice, but Shepard couldn't help it. She laughed.

"You ass!" chuckle, "You are going to pay for that."

"Looking forward to it! Nihlus, out." She let out one more laugh thinking his words. He really can be an ass sometimes.

* * *

 

Shepard walked over to the shed as Kaidan hacked the door control, following them inside. It was a shed in the truest sense of the word. Nothing but a table and a shelf on the far wall. It was a man and a woman. The woman looked to be in her thirties and had very short red hair. The man looked to be in his forties and his wrinkled face in a terrified scowl and a balding head showed that he had seen better days. A feeling tugged her towards that man; something he encountered recently has left him…different.

"Hurry! Close the door! Before they come back!" the man said in harsh, panicked whispers. Shepard noticed his predicament and quickly pressed a few buttons to close the door.

"You're safe now." The commander said.

"Thank the maker for that." the woman sighed in relief.

"Hey, you're Dr. Warren. The one in charge of the excavation." Ashley said. "What happened to the beacon?"

"We shipped it off to the spaceport earlier this morning." Dr. Warren began. She then gestured to the man beside her. "Manuel and I stayed behind to pack up the camp. When the attack came, the marines held them off long enough for us to hide." She paused and shook her head in sadness. "They gave their lives to save us."

"Nobody is saved." Manuel said as he shook his head. "The age of Humanity has ended. Soon, only ruin and corpses shall remain."

"Give us details on the attack." Kaidan said.

"I doubt we could tell you anything you don't already know. It all happened so fast. One second we were gathering up our equipment, the next we were hiding in the shed while the Geth swarmed over the camp." Warren answered.

"Agents of the destroyers." Manuel whimpered. "Bringers of darkness. Heralds of our extinction."

 _Something is wrong with him. I can sense it, but what?_ Thoughts of Manuel’s condition popped up into Shepard’s mind. "What about the beacon?" Kaidan asked. "Why do the Geth want it?" It seems Kaidan was the talker here for Shepard was quiet the entire time, contemplating their current situation.

"I don't know." Warren confessed. "The beacon is some type of data module from a galaxy-wide communications network. Remarkably well-preserved. It could be the greatest scientific discovery in our lifetime. Miraculous new technologies, groundbreaking medical advances, it's easy to imagine that a lot of hostile factions would want to get their hands on it. Apparently, that includes the Geth."

"We have unearthed the heart of evil!" Manuel exclaimed. "Awakened the beast! Unleashed the darkness!"

"Okay, I've gotta ask. What's with him?" Shepard asked. She had to know what made him like this. What broke his mind like this?

"Dr. Manuel has a brilliant mind, but he's always been a little bit...unstable. Genius and madness are two sides of the same coin."

"Is it madness to see the future?" Manuel asked.

Ignoring his question “Have you come into contact with any other Prothean artifacts besides the beacon?" Jane asked

Manuel shook his head. Seemingly oblivious to Shepard’s question “I see it all now. The destruction rushing towards us. There is no escape! No hope! I am not mad. I'm the only sane one left!"

"I gave him an extra dose of his meds after the attack." Warren said in a reassuring tone.

"Alright. You two stay here. Wait on rescue." Shepard said to the two scientists as she drew out his rifle. She then turned to Ashley and Kaidan. "We need to head for the spaceport. Williams, you've got point."

Nihlus Kryik carefully made his way through the spaceport. A few minutes ago, he had just received a report from Jane. She had learned from two surviving civilians that the beacon had been moved from the dig site to the spaceport before the attack hit. The spectre and commander both agreed to link up with one another there. Nihlus was pleased. From past experiences he knew that when Jane set off to look for something, she left no stone unturned. A good trait for a spectre to have. And given her physical statistics and history of her military record, it was easy to imagine her combat skills were improving with the combination of different species fighting techniques.

It was then that Nihlus spotted someone, or something. He was snapped from his thoughts as he quickly took cover behind a crate. He checked his assault rifle. Armed and ready. He quickly moved out of cover and kept the rifle pointed at the target. The fact that it didn't look Geth was the only reason the target was still standing, but Nihlus was ready to pull the trigger at any moment. However, when he got a better look at the mysterious figure, his stance changed entirely.

"Saren?" he asked as he lowered his rifle and his mandibles splayed apart in surprise and confusion.

"Nihlus..." Saren said as he turned around to address the younger Turian. Saren was a rather unusual sight among Turians. For one thing, he lacked the facial tattoos that were typical for his species, indicating he swore no allegiances to any colonial heritage. He also had elongated 'horns' extending back from the sides of his skull, showing that he was part of a racial sub-group of Turians. Finally, there was his artificial left arm; he lost the real one on one of his most dangerous missions. Of course, when you're the Council's top spectre, you go on a lot of dangerous missions.

"This isn't your mission, Saren. What are you doing here?" Nihlus asked.

"The Council thought you could use some help on this one." Saren answered as he casually walked past Nihlus. The younger spectre nodded in reply, but the explanation didn’t seem enough. Saren was, in truth, Nihlius's old mentor. He was the one who subjected Nihlus to his trial to become a spectre, just as Nihlus was subjecting Shepard to now. He had no reason to not believe Saren at his word, but something about this made his plates itch.

"Situation looks bad. Geth are all over the place and it looks like they're dead-set on the beacon." Nihlus explained, playing along.

 

"Relax..." Saren said coolly. "I've got everything under control..."

* * *

 

*BANG!*

Shepard brought up a fist, a signal for the squad to halt, having heard a gunshot in the distance. They stayed there for a long time, not hearing anything else after that sole shot.

"...Keep moving. Eyes and ears open." She ordered after twenty seconds or so of silence. With a 'Yes sir' and an 'Aye aye', they resumed their path to the spaceport.

They continued on their way through the trees until they found themselves at the top of a hill overlooking the docks of the spaceport. However, the hill was also overlooking about a dozen Geth troopers and about half a dozen more husks. The Geth immediately opened fire as the husks charged forward at the three humans.

 

Shepard took cover behind a tree while Ash and Kaidan took cover behind yet another boulder. Williams fired her assault rifle at the husks while Kaidan kept them at bay with his biotics. Shepard dished out a few pistol shots at the incoming husks. Once the husks were dealt with, it was time to move on to the Geth. Kaidan leapt over the boulder and began firing with his pistol while Ash and Jane covered him with their sniper rifles.

Jane smiled. Between her and Ash, every click of their rifles was a guaranteed kill. Ashley's shot would lower the shields of a Geth, while Shepard's shot took it out. Sometimes they switched. So far, the Commander was impressed with both of them. Ashley's mastery of all four of her weapons almost as good as hers and that's saying something.

Kaidan was no slouch either. Granted, he wasn't so good with guns, but those obviously weren't his specialty anyway; biotics were. And his biotics were very powerful. Any Geth or Husks that didn't end up flying into the far wall floated up into the air as if somebody turned the gravity off, making them easy targets for Shepard and Ashley. If the group kept going like this, Shepard just might be able to find out what was going on with Nihlus before the mission.

After a while, the firing stopped. Kaidan peeked out of cover while Ashley and Shepard scanned the area from afar. "I think we're good, Commander." Kaidan said over the radio.

She clicked her communicator. "Alenko, head up to the docks and make sure the area is clear." Shepard ordered.

"On my way." Kaidan replied before coming out of cover and trotting up to the dock.

"Commander, you need to get over here. Now." Kaidan said. She didn't need to ask why, instantly knowing it was something bad. She broke out into a sprint down the hill towards the dock. After getting over the momentary shock over her speed, Ashley took off after her. Coming up walkway, she saw Kaidan standing over a body. Notably, a body that was a Turian. Shepard knelled down beside it to get a better look. They were lying on their back the signature black and red armor coated in blue blood. Shepard did not want to believe what she was seeing.

 _Nihlus. NO!_ The commander stood wide eyed at her dear turian friend. She couldn’t believe it. A sudden rasp gasp left the injured Turian’s mouth and Shepard scrambled to grab her medi-gel. “Alenko, place your hands here,” she directed the Lieutenant’s hands over Nihlus’ carapace, “and apply pressure for the gel to take hold.”

"Shot in the shoulder and torso, he didn’t seem to except it." Kaidan observed. He watched his commander tend to the Spectre’s injuries by scanning him with her Omni-tool.

Kaidan was right in his assessment. 2 bullet holes could obviously be seen, and what looks like 2 grazes. The attacker seems to have attempted an execution style shot but somehow missed and grazed him instead. Nihlus must have been shot at while he was turning toward his attacker. The attacker panicked and attempted to disrupt his shields, checking his armor's data log for confirmation. The data shows his Kinetic barrier was under forced reboot and allowed the victim to become vulnerable. _So that's how they did it_ , Shepard thought. She Kept a copy of the data code for herself, just in case.

 

Although she had regained her composure, she was not fully recovered. She wanted to cry, to scream. She wanted the person responsible for this to pay. But her rage could not be dealt with now and was shoved in a box with all the other distractions in her mind. "Doesn’t look like it’s the Geth that did this. The rounds are wrong."His breathing seemed to be evening out. But the medi gel could only do so much, they needed to get him to the Normandy immediately. 

"A Turian?" Ashley asked. "You know him?"

"He's a Spectre on the mission with us. He was going to help secure the beacon. He's also my friend." The commander's mask slid back into place. "Lieutenant, call in the Normandy and escort Nihlus to the Medbay. You are to stay with him till I say otherwise, understood?"

"But-" before Kaidan could even protest the idea of her moving further without him, a curse had flown up from the stack of crates on the platform.

"We've got movement! Behind the crates!" Williams snapped to attention and brought out her pistol, Shepard doing the same, and pointing them at the crates. With one look, the commander made Alenko keep his orders even when he silently protested.

"Stop! Don't shoot!" cried out male voice. With a snuffle and a trot, figure stepped out of its hiding place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't know if I should have killed him off or not...
> 
>  
> 
> (Did a small Sherlock insert in there, if you noticed...)


End file.
